The subject matter of the present disclosure broadly relates to the art of combustion process analysis and diagnostics and, more particularly, to systems, apparatuses and methods for extracting and analyzing combustion gases associated with combustion appliances and/or systems as well as presenting combustion process diagnostics based, at least in part, on the results of such analyses.
It will be appreciated that the subject matter of the present disclosure finds particular application and use in conjunction with portable instruments, and will be illustrated and described herein with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be recognized and understood that the subject matter of the present disclosure is amenable to use in other applications and/or environments, such as use in connection with fixed instrumentation, for example, and that the configurations shown and described herein are merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting.
A variety of portable instruments have been developed for use in sampling and analyzing gases and gaseous by-products of combustion processes, such as may occur in connection with combustion appliances and/or systems of a different types and kinds. In many cases, such portable instruments are used to analyze gases and gaseous by-products discharged through a chimney, flue or other exhaust conduit of a combustion system that utilizes a burner to generate controlled combustion of a fuel, such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or fuel oil, for example. Such combustion appliances and/or systems often take the form of heating apparatuses and are commonly used in industrial, commercial and residential buildings to provide warm air, hot water or steam that can be transported throughout the building, such as for heating and/or other purposes. Non-limiting examples of such heating apparatuses include the types commonly referred to as furnaces and boilers.
The known designs of portable instruments for sampling and analyzing combustion gases typically measure one or more ambient conditions at or around the combustion appliance and/or system being tested. In some cases, known portable instruments may provide for the entry or selection of basic information regarding the combustion appliance and/or system being tested, such as fuel type. If provided, such information may be entered into the device by the technician testing the combustion system. Finally, the portable instrument is used to sample, analyze and, in some cases, record one or more properties of the combustion gases being tested.
Once the combustion gases have been tested, known devices may be capable of generating output in one or more forms that communicate properties and/or characteristics of the tested combustion gases to the technician. In some cases, known devices may be capable of identifying properties of the combustion gases that are within and/or outside of an acceptable range for a given property. In other cases, the technician may manually determine the properties of the combustion gases that are within and/or outside of the corresponding acceptable ranges for those properties.
Using the results of the combustion gas test together with some combination of training, experience and, commonly, significant trial and error, a technician will then selectively adjust various components and/or operational parameters of the combustion system in an attempt to reach a condition in which most or all of the combustion gas properties are within a predetermined range or are otherwise identified as having an acceptable value. Typically, the process of testing, analyzing and adjusting is repeated numerous times by the technician until the desired performance and/or operating conditions of the combustion appliance and/or system are achieved. In some cases, experienced technicians may be capable of achieving the desired performance and/or operating conditions with a reasonable number of trial and error attempts. However, due to the number of parameters and combinations of adjustments that can be made, novice technicians may perform a significantly greater number of trial and error iterations before achieving the desired conditions of operation.
Notwithstanding the common usage and overall success of conventional instruments for analyzing combustion gases, certain areas of improvement in the art of analyzing and adjusting combustion processes still remain. Accordingly, it is believed desirable to develop systems, apparatuses and methods for analyzing combustion gases and presenting combustion process diagnostics that overcome the foregoing and/or other deficiencies associated with conventional instrumentation, and/or otherwise advance the art of analyzing and diagnosing combustion processes.